Salvaging the Matua
by Dutch Angua
Summary: Jim and his fellow first years are sent on a mission to salvage three exploded ships. What promises to become a trying day for him turns out disastrous when Jim makes a startling discovery among the wreckage.
1. Chapter 1

Spring had started early this year on the small planet called Montressor. The landscape, mostly brown earth and stones, and rare patches of green, seemed to glow in the morning sun.  
This combined with the soft breeze playing in the cloudless sky made the land a place of perfect serenity.

"Come _on_, you blasted thing!"

With another frustrated yelp, the boy kicked the throttle down hard. With a lot of groaning and protests the board sped up. Jim cursed. This was really Murphy's Law at its best.  
It was one thing to oversleep, but why, _why_ did it have to be _this_ morning? Professor Alethino was known and feared for his strict discipline regarding tardiness, and the serpent would not only tan his hide, but probably cut it up and use it as a doormat to set an example for other first years for years to come.  
And to top it all off, his solar surfer had apparently decided that this was a perfect day to go on strike to protest the lack of maintenance it had had the last months.

Great, just great!

Fortunately, the towers of the Academy came in sight. The seventeen year old manoeuvred the board as far on the courtyard as he dared (the janitor might be looking out for a new doormat as well), jumped off and unceremoniously rammed it into the board stand.  
The hallway was exceptionally crowded, but Jim only focussed on his goal. He had just started a sprint towards the lecture hall when a large hand landed on his shoulder and yanked him backwards.

"Sorry about that mate!" A low voice said cheerfully as the hand that had grabbed Jim steadied him. "But we're all summoned to the auditorium."  
Jim looked up into the smiling face of his best friend Liam.  
"Thanks," Jim muttered, "But try not to dislocate my shoulder next time, okay?"  
"You're uncharacteristically late, by the way." Liam spoke as they made their way to the auditorium. "Oh, hey Morph!"  
The little creature had burst out of Jim's backpack and settled on Liam's shoulder, rubbing himself against the Leonid's goatee.  
"Yeah, the inn was a madhouse last night." Jim sighed. "It was well past midnight before everything was done, and I must have forgotten to set the alarm clock." Liam gave a sympathetic grunt. "Why are we summoned to the auditorium, anyway?"

"Didn't you hear?" A black girl, one of Jim's few fellow humans, looked around. "A ship has exploded not far from here. It was wrecked completely, and the two companion ships aren't much better. They sent the senior years there some hours ago. I heard my brother leave."  
A slim amphibian gave Jim a playful punch on the shoulder. "It was all over the news, Hawkins. You should keep track of current affairs."  
"I just said, Fischer, I overslept. I hardly had time for breakfast. Do you know how hard it is to eat a purp and steer a solar surfer at the same time? And _that_ did _not_ happen!" Jim swatted at Morph, who had just done an imitation of Jim smacking into a cliff face. His classmates laughed.

"But I don't think that humpbacked ox appreciated me dropping a core on its head."  
"I can imagine." Liam chuckled. "OW!"  
He ruefully rubbed the side of his face where, with a perfect sense of irony, a purp had hit him.  
"You know, _some_ people just wave to indicate where they are!"  
The blue-skinned girl cast him a glance, lifted her hand and waved it unenthusiastically. "I'm here."  
Jim burst out laughing as Liam flopped down next to her.  
"Why did you aim for me? Jim was closer."

"One," Serena held up one finger. "You're the taller one and thus easier to hit, and two, Jim would've fought back." She finished matter-of-factly.  
Jim smirked. "Scared of me, are you?"  
"Nah, I just don't feel like kicking anyone's butt this early in the morning. Serves you right for being such a pacifist, Li."

Liam was about to retort when Professor Bruno called for attention. "You might have heard the news," He spoke, "Of the explosion on the ship R.L.S. Ngahere. The students of the third year and up have already been sent to salvage the ship and its companions, the R.L.S. Tāne and Matua. Now the explosion hazard is over, it's your turn. "  
There was an excited buzz after these words.  
"Captain Amelia will lead the mission. She will now give you full instructions."

The felid stepped forward. "Thank you professor. Now, if you will all look at the screen here -"

As she talked on, Jim, Liam and Serena threw each other an excited glance. They were going on a mission!

* * *

Author's Note  
My first fanfiction series.  
I know from personal experience how annoying it is when people don't finish their stories, that's why I completed (ok, _nearly_) the story for myself before posting it.  
A thanks to my best buddy and beta-reader David, an amazing writer, for helping me along.

Since English isn't our first language, do report any abuse of it by my hand...but please stay polite ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The students were standing on the deck of the Academy ship. The initial excitement hadn't exactly faded, but it had become more anxious and solemn. Trying to break the tension, Morph fluttered around, doing his normally very successful parody of professor Bruno. This didn't receive more than a few chuckles. There was a sudden gasp as the first student noticed the battered ships.

The group fell silent at the sight. There seemed to be hardly anything left of the Ngahere, and the other ships looked only marginally better.  
"Ladies and gentlemen." Captain Amelia's voice was hardly more than a whisper, but it broke the silence like a canon shot. "I have been informed that the salvage on the Ngahere is almost done. We will instead focus on the other ships."

She held out her arm, drawing an imaginary line through the middle of the group, right between Liam and Serena. "You will come with me to the R.L.S. Matua," She indicated the left group. "The rest of you will go with first officer Smith to the Tāne."  
The silence was unbroken as half of the group followed her to the longboat bay. Jim and Liam gave Serena a slight nod before they went below deck. Idly stroking Morph, Jim got the feeling that the day might become tougher than any of them could foresee.

Several pairs of boots landed on the charred deck. There was a grave silence as the students looked around on the damaged ship. The Matua had been close, too close when its companion had exploded. The solar sails were almost ripped clean off, and the main mast looked like it was about to fracture. Jim heard Liam curse as part of the deck nearly splintered away under his weight. A couple of fifth years were carrying a stretcher towards the Academy ship. A bloodied hand dangled from under the white cloth draped over it.

Dead…

Jim felt Morph shiver against his neck, and his eyes met those of his Leonid friend. It was worse than the two friends could've imagined. They looked up as a fourth year approached Captain Amelia and saluted. "We've found the captain in his stateroom. He's unconscious and rather cut up. Glass shards," He grimaced. "The windows were shattered. But it looks like he's going to be alright."  
Captain Amelia nodded and dismissed the young man before turning to the group.

"You will spread out on the ship to look for survivors. Extinguish every fire you encounter, and neutralize any inflammable liquids you find. Hawkins, Fitzgerald -" She pushed extinguishers in the young men's hands. "You will go below deck."  
Jim reached for his shoulder and picked up the little pink blob. "You stay here, Morph." He murmured, "You'll be safer here."

The two friends walked swiftly towards the adjacent trapdoors of the galley and the crew's sleeping quarters. "I'll get the galley." Jim said. Liam nodded in approval. "Let me know if you need help."  
The explosion had forced the trapdoor down hard, and Jim had to kick it several times before it came unstuck. He walked down the stairs. The galley looked pretty much the same as the one on the R.L.S. Legacy, and once you stopped noticing the burnt smell from the charred wood, it even vaguely smelled the same.

Jim put out a small fire that was incinerating a fallen bench when he noticed something, a figure, lying in the back of the galley. He made his way through the upturned tables, and nearly landed flat on his face as he tripped over something metallic lying on the floor. An unpleasant jolt went through him as he looked down.

His mouth went bone dry as he picked up the object that had tripped him up, and fear welled up inside him as he looked down on the dented, dreadfully familiar robotic arm in his hands.

* * *

Author's Note:

**amalimrock: **Thanks for your review! I know what you mean with Morph. That part was actually added later because, just as you say, I had plain forgotten he was there.

**OMGitsEMILY: **Wow, thank you for your compliment! I used a dictionary a lot, though most of the time I was looking for synonyms rather than translations. I spent 5 months in New Zealand, that helps as well. (I'm not sure anyone noticed, but the names of the ships are Maori words)  
I hope I can live up to your expectations.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The few meters between Jim and the prone figure seemed endless. But at long last, he fell to his knees next to it. With great effort, hoping, praying every fraction of a second, he managed to turn over the massive body.

"_Please, no…"_

It was him…

The face he had longed to see again for nearly two years now. There it was, covered in blood and grease, seeping from his cyborg eye.  
Jim's mind had gone numb with shock and panic. He grabbed the bell hanging from his belt and rang it loudly. After what seemed like an eternity, Liam entered the galley at high speed.

"No one in the sleeping quarters. I heard - oh Gods!" Liam's eyes widened at the sight of the cyborg. "Is he alive?"  
"I, I don't -" Jim stammered. The Leonid shot a glance at his pale, stricken friend and knelt down as well.  
"He's breathing, alright. We need to -"  
"Liam?"  
"What?"  
"It's Silver…"  
Liam's head shot up, his golden eyes meeting the blue ones of Jim, his face unmoving even as realisation dawned.

"We need to get him to the Academy ship, now." Liam spoke calmly after a short pause. "Help me, Jim."  
With the combined strength of the two young men, Silver was dragged onto a stretcher. It rose up slightly as Liam activated the zero-gravity switch.

Morph chirruped excitedly as he saw his young master come on deck again. The small creature shot forward to greet Jim, but stopped dead in his tracks when he discovered who was on the stretcher. Jim shuddered. A scream, a high pitched squeal, reducing into a puddle of tears…anything would have been better than the dead silence coming from the shaking little blob.

"Hawkins, Fitzgerald, these two will take it from -" Captain Amelia froze as she looked down upon the old pirate. "Oh damn! Miller, Statham! Take him to the ship, right now!"  
"Aye Captain." The two third years obediently took the stretcher from Jim and Liam and quickly manoeuvred it towards the Academy ship.

Jim made to rush after them, but was stopped as Amelia's strong arm was pressed against his chest. "Let me -" "You and Mr. Fitzgerald will go and check the longboat bay. Right now!"  
Jim tried to wrestle himself from the Felid's firm grip. "Let go off me! I have to -"  
"No, Mr. Hawkins!" Amelia shot a glance over her shoulder. "There is nothing you can do for him. But there might be others that need your help." She pushed the still struggling Jim back a few feet.  
"Check the longboat bay. That's an order."

Jim glared at the Captain, the shock and fear from the last moments turning into fury. His hands clenched into fists. But a large hand landed on his shoulder. "She's right, Jim. There is nothing you can do here." Liam's deep, soothing voice spoke. Jim deflated a little. "Come on, let's go."

Jim shot Captain Amelia one last glare, then turned on his heel and followed his best friend below deck.

* * *

Author's Note:

Sorry, short chapter, this time.  
Thank you all for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the cliffhanger, hehe.  
OMGitsEMILY, if it is any consolation, I never even noticed the mistake ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was well after dark when the operation was finished. The students had retreated below deck, in the crew's quarter of the Academy ship. Most of them were sleeping in the rather comfortable seats.

Jim was sitting next to Serena, unable to sleep. He barely remembered what had happened the rest of the day. He _did_ remember quite vividly that he had found a little girl hiding in one of the skiffs. She seemed okay, apart from being scared out of her mind. She had clung to Jim's neck with a grip like steel, and it had taken a lot of talking and soothing before they got her to let go of him. Jim rubbed the back of his neck. There were now six small but deep scratches where her nails had cut into his skin. Serena stirred slightly in her sleep, and her head fell against his shoulder. Next to her, Liam stretched out his long legs in front of him and sagged down in the cushions.

Apart from the memory of the little girl, Jim's mind kept going back to the image of Silver, lying on the galley floor. His face bloodied, the main valve of his robotic leg ripped apart, the dented arm –

Jim shot up in his seat, sending Morph flying into a nearby pillar, and nearly giving Serena a whiplash. "Hey!" She cried out indignantly.

"His arm!"  
"Put it on the stretcher with him." Liam responded muzzily.  
"You sure?"  
Liam opened his eyes a fraction and titled his head to look at his friend.  
"_Yes_, Jim."  
Jim nodded and leaned back slowly. "Yeah," he muttered, "Okay...Sorry Serena."  
Disgruntled, Morph shook himself and with a glare to Jim he nestled into Liam's dark mane.

Jim was about to doze off when a small but strong hand landed on his shoulder.  
"Mr. Hawkins. A word, if you please."  
"Aye captain." He said unenthusiastically, and followed the felid to her stateroom. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. Captain Amelia wasn't one to tolerate disobedience.  
He watched her as she closed the door and sat down at her desk.

"Well, mister Hawkins -"  
"I'm sorry for what happened on the R.L.S. Matua. I was wrong to protest your orders and it will not happen again." Jim spoke, hoping to get the lecture over with quickly.  
The captain observed the young man silently for a while.  
"That is good to know, Mr. Hawkins, and I appreciate the apology. But that is not why I summoned you here."  
Jim head shot up, astonished.  
"Do sit down, James."  
Now totally nonplussed, Jim sat down in the chair at the desk.  
"I have just spoken to the paramedics..."  
An uneasy feeling came over Jim at those words. He looked down. The question was burning on his tongue, but at the same time, he feared the answer.  
"Well?"

Amelia gave him a sympathetic look, and sighed. "He...Silver... is in a coma. Judging from the wound, he had a severe blow to the head." She fell silent for a moment.  
"It is impossible to assess the damage just yet. Without a scan, we have no idea when he will wake up...that is, _If_ he - "  
The chair clattered on the wooden floor.  
No! He didn't want to hear it! He didn't even want to _think_ about it!

His fists clenched by his sides, his eyes screwed shut, he turned away from the desk.

"Is...is there anything else?" He managed after a few moments. "Captain?"

The felid glanced up at him. For a moment, it looked as if she had something else to say, but she decided against it. "No. That's all for now, James. Go get some rest."

Jim nodded, and turned to the door to leave. He changed his mind, turned back and picked up the chair.

Then he walked out, his head spinning.

* * *

Author's Note  
Again, thanks for the reviews everybody! I appreciate it! I hope I can keep you entertained.  
**Amalimrock**, I found it intruiging that you thought the emotions were too fast paced. Maybe it's the vet in me; save emotions for later when there are others that need help, heh ;)  
And I've actually thought of using that line instead. Can't remember exactly why I decided against it, but I probably didn't want to copy the movie too much.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Thank you, B.E.N." Sarah granted the robot a grateful smile as she took the proffered cup. B.E.N. smiled, and poured some more tea for the Dopplers. Despite the late hour, the two had come home with Jim.

They were sitting in the private living room of the Benbow Inn. It had been another busy night at the Inn when Jim had come home, looking absolutely run-down. Without a word, he had walked towards his mother and hugged her before retreating upstairs, leaving the Dopplers to explain the situation.

Of course she had heard of Silver. Jim had told her pretty much everything about the journey to Treasure Planet. She could tell from his tale the man had meant a lot to Jim, if only because he gave Jim Morph. It seemed that whenever Jim was feeling down or having a hard time, the little creature's presence would cheer him up. But now, even the little blob seemed to have no effect on Jim's mood.

"I remember one time, Mr. Silver gave Jim about a week's worth of dishes to clean." Delbert gave a soft chuckle at the memory, and Morph's spot on imitation of Jim's face at the sight of the stack of crockery. "It took him hours to clean it all...but he did it. Mr. Silver would run him absolutely ragged sometimes, but after a few weeks, Jim didn't seem to mind anymore...the way Jim always followed the man around... almost like a little boy trailing his father... " Delbert stirred his tea absentmindedly as he reflected on his memories. "I've never seen Jim act like that. Not even with Leland- Oh, I'm sorry." The canid winced and grimaced guiltily. "I did not mean to -"  
Sarah nodded. It was true. Oh, she remembered too well how Jim would sometimes try to get his father's attention. But after so many rejections, so much impassiveness the boy had just...given up.

"Yes, I would say that description is spot on." Amelia said softly, breaking the awkward silence. "And Silver would treat him much like a son, at times. The man may be a bastard, but he seemed to genuinely care for James."

The room went silent for a while as the four souls collected their thoughts. Even B.E.N., who would normally only be silenced by, as Jim once described it, either ripping out his speakers or a whole roll of duct tape, didn't make a sound.

With a sigh, Amelia set down her cup. Her large green eyes looked up with concern. "Sarah? There is something I haven't told James yet..."

* * *

There was a soft knock on the door. "Jim, honey?" Sarah opened the door carefully and looked at the narrow bed, where her son was sitting, staring at the foot board. Everything about him radiated exhaustion. She noticed the rims of his eyes were redder than usual. He didn't even look up as she sat down next to him.  
Sarah sighed. They had to talk...but where to begin?  
"I just talked to Delbert and Amelia -"  
"I heard."  
She looked up in surprise. Jim merely gestured towards the window with his head. Ah yes, the roof. His favourite place when he needed solitude.  
"They are right." Jim spoke softly, before Sarah could. "About how I feel about...about Silver."  
His eyes narrowed slightly. Not knowing what to say, Sarah reached out to stroke her son's hair.

"I never...never really knew how it was to, to have a father." Jim's voice was shaking now. "N-not really. For years, I noticed fathers here, at the Inn...And I thought-" Unable to voice his thoughts, Jim buried his face in his hands. "And then – when I met Silver...He-he taught me, he watched over me. He was just...there. " He looked up again. "And then I thought, this is it. This is what a father should be like." A tear slid down the young man's cheek.

"I can handle him being away from me." Jim muttered. "But I can't handle him being dead."

Jim let himself fall forward, burying his face in his mother's shoulder, sobbing.  
Sarah didn't know how long she sat there, her arms around her son, gently rubbing his back and rocking slightly. "Please let him survive this." She prayed. "Please, don't let my son lose him again..."

After a while, Jim started to calm down. Sarah hated to ask, but she had to know. "Did you hear everything we talked about, sweetie?"  
Jim shrugged. He wasn't sure.

Sarah took a deep breath. "The authorities have been informed. There is going to be a hearing tomorrow."

* * *

Author's note  
Bit of a slow chapter there...sorry...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jim straightened his uniform jacket nervously. He was feeling flustered. This place reminded him far too much of his past, before Treasure Planet. But he had to be here. He had to defend his friend, his mentor.

A shuffling of chairs shook him out of his reverie. Just in time he realised they were ordered to stand up for the judge. The creature that walked in reminded him a lot of Mr. Onus. Only much better groomed of course. And female. She moved swiftly towards the judge's bench and sat down.

"Well, I take it all people present know the procedure," She said, after opening the case. "As per regulations, we will hear out all the parties involved-Yes Captain? " This was to Amelia, who had risen from her chair.

"Forgive me, your Honour, but isn't it customary that the defendant is actually _here_ to defend himself?"  
"So it is," The judge conceded. "But apparently, Mr. Silver has decided not to show up."  
"Ah," said Amelia briskly. "That would be because he is in a coma."

There was a dead silence, except for some rustling of papers and nervous clearing of throats from the prosecutor's table. "Errr, it, ah, seems like, due to some regrettable turn of events, errr, we-"  
"-Failed to inform the court that the man we are judging here today is in no state to be present." The judge glared, quite an easy feat for a creature blessed with half a dozen eyes.

"However, because of the nature of this trial, we must reach a verdict within the next 48 hours. With or without the defendant present." She gave another cold stare. "I hope we will be spared from any other...communicative errors."

If he hadn't been so anxious, Jim would have smiled. Though Amelia would not want the old cyborg to get away unpunished, she had been furious that the prosecutor had requested the trial to be held while Silver was still unconscious. The judge seemed so share the sentiment.

The trial went on for quite some time. Witnesses were asked to do their story. At some point, a Captain with a familiar, sloth-like appearance was called forward. He was introduced as the Captain of the R.L.S. Matua. Jim was still musing on why he looked so familiar when he noticed that his hand had subconsciously reached for his neck. Six tiny scratches. Ah...that was it.

Some hours later, he walked through the sterile-looking corridors of the hospital. He sighed. From what the judge had said, he concluded that around this time tomorrow, a verdict would be delivered by her. And it wouldn't be the only verdict regarding Silver.

He pushed open the door to Silver's room and quietly went inside. The sight he encountered threatened to break his heart again. He could barely stand to see his strong, tough mentor there, connected to so many bells and whistles, his right arm still missing.  
He slumped down in one of the chairs next to the bed. He felt Morph slide off his shoulder. Whimpering softly, the little blob pressed himself against the ursid's jowls.

"Don't lose hope." Jim's mother had said. But damn it, it was so hard. Every time he tried to make himself believe Silver was going to survive, treacherous thoughts whispered to him: _What good is life to him if he will spend the rest of it in prison?  
_And in reverse, every time he imagined the judge setting him free, the sarcastic voice doubted that it was unlikely Silver was going to live to see freedom.

Jim groaned, exhausted. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice someone had some into the room until she was right in front of him.

"Hullo?"  
Jim looked up, and managed to croak out a "Hey."  
"Do you remember me?"  
Jim nodded. She was the girl he had pulled out of one of the skiffs on the Matua. He remembered all too well.  
The girl was now regarding Silver with worried eyes.  
"Is he going to be alright?"

Jim swallowed. Then shrugged. "I don't know," he murmured wearily. "They'll be here any minute now to get him...for a scan." He roughly brushed away a tear that had threatened to slide down his cheek.

"Honey? We need to go home now." The Captain of the Matua looked into the room. "Mommy will be waiting for us."  
"Okay Daddy!" The girl turned back to Jim.  
"I just wanted to say thank you for finding me, back on the ship." Jim could only nod in response.  
He watched with slight amazement as the girl reached out a hand and patted Silver on his armless shoulder. "Get well soon, Mr. Silver." She whispered solemnly, then walked to the door into her father's arms.

The Captain gave Jim a nod and strode off, leaving the boy with his thoughts once again.

* * *

Author's Note

Again, people, thanks for the reviews. I love to see how you guys live along with the story :)  
Yuni30, your comment made me chuckle, because it gave me a Monty Python-esque mental image:  
_Silver: "Wait! I ain't dead yet!__"_

Well...nearing the end...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Serena leaned back against the white wall and threw an awkward glace at her friend. Jim was sitting hunched up in a chair, occasionally casting nervous glances at the doctor's office opposite. On his shoulder, Morph chirruped sadly.

"You all right?"  
Jim lifted his head slightly as if to nod, but changed his mind halfway, and shook it instead.  
Losing the battle with his emotions once again, he lowered his head in his hand, his shoulders shaking.

Serena bit her lip. Damn it! She was no good at this stuff. Relieve flooded through her as the saw Liam approach them. The leonid took one look at Jim, sat down next to him and threw his arm around the young man's shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Bit better?" He informed after a while.  
"Yeah," Jim wiped his face on his sleeve. "Yeah...thanks man."  
"No problem."

"Jim Hawkins?" The tall, reptilian doctor was standing in the door opening. "Come on in."  
Jim threw an imploring look at his two friends. With a slight nod, they followed him into the tidy office.

"Well..." The doctor leafed through some papers on her desk. "I've looked through the reports of the radiologist. The explosion did quite a lot of damage..." She looked up. "However, we found no sign of any lasting damage."

Jim's heart pounded painfully in his chest. He hardly dared to believe his ears. "Is he - " He cleared his throat. "He's going to be alright?"  
The doctor smiled. "He'll wake up. And quite soon as well, if we believe the radiologist."

The first thing Delbert noticed when he walked into the hospital corridor was the scream. The second thing he noticed was a squealing pink streak zipping past at high speed. The third thing he noticed was an elated teen hanging around his neck.  
"He'll be fine, Doc! He'll be fine!"

Delbert wished he could say the same about his tympanic membranes. But even with a hundred decibels assaulting his ears, he couldn't suppress a grin.  
"That's wonderful news!" He laughed at Jim's dazzled grin. "Are you ready for more?"

Jim's eyes widened. "What? Is he - ?"

"Probation." Delbert explained quickly. "Five years. And he's not to leave the planet for the next twelve months. About the best we could hope for, I guess." His grin widened. "Wait till I tell you who his parole officer is going to be."

His grin told Jim everything he needed to know. He laughed hysterically as Serena and Liam exchanged puzzled glances over his head, until Morph shape shifted into a miniature of the strict captain Amelia.

"Silver's gonna _love_ this!"

* * *

"Looks like they fixed you up nicely." Jim smiled down on the cyborg. "Took 'em quite a while to repair your eye and ear. Quite an advanced bit of machinery, they said. Not sure when they can reattach your arm though." He sighed and stood up from his chair.

"Nearly two weeks since the explosion now, Silver. We've done everything we could...it's up to you now...All you have to do is wake up."  
He leaned forward, pressed his lips to his friend's forehead and whispered, "..._Please wake up._"

"Time's up, Hawkins." Serena leaned against the doorframe. Liam elbowed her in the ribs.  
"What are you guys doing here?" Jim demanded.  
Liam smiled and walked over. "Picking you up, of course! Academy Party, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah." Jim nearly forgot. The Academy's monthly party. "About that...I think I'll pass."  
Serena rolled her eyes, and Liam sighed. "We were afraid you were going to say that."  
"Plan B?" Serena suggested. Liam nodded. The two friends turned around and walked towards the door.

Feeling slightly guilty, Jim turned his back and smiled at Morph, who was rubbing himself against his old master. But then, without any warning, he felt two strong hands grab him under his arms and he was roughly dragged out of the room and into the corridor.

"All right, _all right!_" He laughed. "Let go off me! I'll come with you!"

Barely an hour later he was standing in the festively lit auditorium, when a tune from his favourite band began to play. He grinned, singing along loudly even though...now how had Silver put it again?

Oh yes.

"_Yeh couldn't carry a tune teh save yer sorry life, lad!_"

He didn't care. Not tonight.

_When you got love and you got family  
__When you got love and you got family  
Keep 'em close and don't forget  
To hold them right there in your heart  
When you got love and family_

_

* * *

_

Author's Note:  
Hope I'm not going to fast there...

For anyone who wants to know: The lyrics are from the song "Never Forget" by the Dropkick Murphys. I used this for several reasons  
1. In view of the fact that most of the music in TP had Celtic influences, I thought Celtic punk would be something the Academy students would like.  
2. The song fitted exceptionally well.*  
2. I was listening Dropkick Murphys music while writing it. They're just awesome.

* They've got some other songs that would be very suitable for TP music videos, like 'Bastards on parade' (For both Jim and Silver) and 'Walk away' (Leland's theme, listen and you'll know)  
And if you're on it anyway, listen to "Green fields of France". It's a cover, not much to do with TP, but very beautiful.

Thank you all for the reviews! Keep em coming!  
OMGitsEMILY, good to see you again!  
Welsh Gem, thank you for that *cough* lovely mental image you gave me :p


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"_Captain! The Ngahere!"  
_"_What the - "_

A red flash. A blast. Pain.

And then...nothing. No pain, no sounds. Just black.

_Am I dead? _

No more thinking now. Nothing. Rest...

But then...sounds. Voices coming through.

"_...Pirate..."  
_"_...miracle he survived..."  
__A chirrup..._

I know that sound.

"_...talk...might hear you..."_

I hear you.

"_...his arm?"  
_"_...tissue damage around his shoulder blade...reattached once it's healed..."  
_"_...Thank you..."_

That voice. Familiar.  
No...impossible.

_A sensation..a light pressure to the forehead..._

"_...Please wake up."_

There it was again...that voice.

_Laughter..._

Could it be?

The light stung his eye as he opened it a fraction. He could barely see through his lashes, but for a second, just before it disappeared again, the face swam into focus.  
He was too weak to speak, but his lips formed the word.

"_Jimbo..."_

_

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_

Author's Note  
Your reviews never cease to make my day. Thank you all!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The light stung his eyes as without any form of mercy, the curtains were pulled open. Jim groaned and hid his head under his pillow. "Bloody hell, B.E.N.!"

"Rise and shine, Jimmy! It's a beautiful day! Time to grace the world with your - _Umph_!"  
The pillow had hit the mark perfectly. Getting the hint, the robot left the teen's room, muttering something about giving Jim a bit of "Quiet time".

With another groan, Jim let his head fall back on the now pillowless mattress. Damn. He had hoped to sleep late after last night's party. He closed his eyes again, but after this rude awakening, he found it impossible to go back to sleep. He rolled on his side and poked Morph, who was still sleeping soundly. "C'mon Morphy, time for breakfast."

"Morning mom, is there – oh." Jim fell silent as he noticed the telephone receiver pressed to his mother's ear. He mouthed_ 'Getting some breakfast' _while walking towards the kitchen, but she motioned him to stop.  
"Thank you. I will tell him." Sarah put down the phone slowly. She turned to her son.

"That was the hospital." She said softly.  
Jim felt his heart skip a beat. "Silver..?"  
"He's been in and out of consciousness all night. He's awake now, and he wants to see you." She smiled, "Badly."

Sarah could hardly suppress a laugh at the look on Jim and Morph's faces. It became even harder when boy ran for the door, and seemed to realise only halfway down the living room that he was still in his pyjama's. On his way back to the stairs he grabbed a perplexed (but very happy) B.E.N. into a bear hug and swung him around. Morph dashed around the two in a state of disoriented cheerfulness.

Finally, Sarah managed to grab her son by the shoulders. "Go upstairs, get dressed." She laughed, "I'll take you to the hospital."  
"But mom, the Inn-"  
"Can do without me for a while. You're in no state to fly there." She grinned. "I don't want to have to go to the hospital and tell Silver you crashed into a tree."  
Laughing loudly at the mental image, reinforced by Morph's visuals, Jim ran upstairs to change.

* * *

Jim rounded the last corner at such high speed that his boots threatened to slip away from under his body. He steadied himself on the door handle. Swallowing hard, his heart racing and slightly out of breath, he opened the door.

"Silver?"

The big man was lying back into the cushions. His eyes had cracked open when Jim had called his name. Through his pain and exhaustion, he managed to push himself up into a sitting position.

"Jimbo..."

Jim felt a lump grow in his throat, and he rushed towards the bed. There were a thousand, a million things he wanted to tell Silver. But right here, right now, as he threw his arms around the cyborg's neck, there was nothing to say.

Sarah quietly leaned against the doorframe, watching the scene. She smiled, and to her surprise had to brush away some tears. Maybe it was the way Silver had her son wrapped in a strong yet gentle, one-armed embrace. Maybe it was the way little Morph had nestled himself between the two men's necks.

Or maybe it was the way that, through his tears, Jim finally looked completely, perfectly happy.

* * *

Author's Note

Well, that's an end to the story. It's been wonderful writing it. I may one day add a few chapters (nothing exciting, just what happens afterwards) and I've got some inspiration for one or two one-shots. Time will tell if I ever get to write them.

I want to thank you all for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I liked writing it :)

Merry X-mas (or what's still left of it) and a happy new year!


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